Angularly adjustable wire to bar connector



N 1951 I. F. MATTHYSSE 2,576,527

ANGULARLY ADJUSTABLE WIRE TO BAR CONNECTOR Filed July 25, 1945 QIIIIIII w INVENTOR \L/ i 57 K J ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 27, 1951 ANGULARLY ADJUSTABLE WIRE TO BAR CONNECTOR Irving Frederick Matthysse, New York, N. Y'., as-

signor to Burndy Engineering Company, Inc., a corporation of New York Application July 25, 1945, Serial No. 606,981

3 Claims.

My invention relates to swivel connectors for joining conductors such as wire or cable to the fiat surfaces of bus bars and the like.

Electrical junction-boxes, fuse boxes, switch boxes, etc., are usually equipped with flat copper bus 'bar to which the incoming and outgoing electric wires are connected. These bus bars are generally equipped with electrical connectors to receive the wires and the wires must be bent'so that'their ends will slip into the openings in the connectors. This is not difficult when the wires are very small, but for large size wires, and particularly in compact boxes having very little wiring space it is difficult to bend the wire to just the correct angle to permit it to enter the connector. One means used to relieve this situation has been to provide connectors having the cable entrance grooves set at the angle which requires the minimum of bending of the wire. This method is not entirely satisfactory since the correct angle depends on the way the wire is placed in the wiring space, on the amount of slack left in the wire, on the type of wire stranding, the type of wire insulation and on the size of the wire.

Another means has been to use connectors which are tightened to the bus bar after they are set to the desired angle and the wire inserted. An obvious form of such a connector is the common terminal connector or lug, having an extending fiat tongue for bolting to the bus bar. The wire may be inserted and tightened into such a terminal after which the bolt in the flat tongue is tightened. Such a connector has the disadvantage of requiring additional space due to the length of the flat tongue. In addition, two tightening operations are required, one for the wire and one for the flat tongue.

It is an object of this invention to provide an electrical connector for joining a wire to a flat bus bar such that the connector may rotate or swivel in the plane of the bus bar so that the wire may be connected at any angle with respect to the bus bar.

An additional object is to provide such a swivel connector which becomes locked to the wire and bus bar in asingle tightening operation. A further object is to provide a compact swivel connector to accomplish the aforementioned objects.

Other cbjectsare to provide such a swivel connector so that the wire may be laid into an open groove for those cases where it is difficult to enter the end of the wire into an opening; to provide a swivel connector that can take a wide range of conductor sizes; to provide a swivel connector that can be attached to the flat bus bar with no special skill; and to provide a swivel connector which does not require removal of the bus bar from the box in order to install the connector.

I accomplish these and other objects and obtain my new results as will be apparent from the device described in the following specification, particularly pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a split bolt connector employing my invention shown in section attached to a fiat bus bar.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the connector shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the connector shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the pressure transferring element.

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of theelementshown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a front elevational view similar to Fig. 1 showing an alternative means for attachment to the bus bar.

Fig. 7 is a front elevational view of an eye-bolt Fig. 14 is a side elevation of the element shown in Fig. 13.

Referring more in detail to the drawing, reference numeral [0 designates a connection body or split-bolt type of connector having a head II, and two extending threaded and semi-cylindrical legs l2 and I3. A threaded stud or securing means It longitudinally extends from the head. in the opposite direction of the legs, and engages a threaded aperture [5 in the supporting structure or bus bar it.

A follower or pressure applying section I I. consists of the nut or pressure producing means l8 held captive by a U-shaped pressure bar I 9, having a conductor engaging surface 20 and two extending ears 2| and 22 which are bent over as shown in Fig. 1 to hold the nut captive against 3 the shoulders 23 and 24 of the bar I9, as' shown in Fig. 2.

The bar I9 has a width slightly less than the distance between the legs i2 and i3 of the bolt, and a length sufiicient to provide a satisfactory conductor engaging surface 23). on. the. bottom thereof.

A pressure transferring element or washer 25 constituting the conductor receiving section provided for transferring the pressure applied to the conductor, to the bus-bar Hi. It COHSiStSOf an annular ring 26, having an inner space suffrcient to'enclose the head ll of. the splitholt with.

a diametrically extending bridge 21 provided. with a conductor receiving surface 28 having a width: sutficient to allow it to be positioned between the legs of the splitbolt. The bridge extends across the ring on one side thereof, leaving-sufiicient clearance at the bottom for containing the head ll of the split-bolt.

The nut 8, and the outer-surface of the washer may behexagonally shaped to facilitate the applicationof a wrench thereto.

Inapplication, the split bolt is inserted into thewasherwith thevbridge of the washer posit-ioned between the legs of the split-bolt. The connector'stud- I4 is then threaded into the bus bar as far as it will go, and at the same time keeping the split-bolt lined up with the wire it isto receive which is then inserted therein. The nut is tightenedcausing' the follower to force the conductor against the bridge-of the washer which is thus pressed to the bus-bar with sufije'ient pressure to keep-the split-bolt from rotating on the stud.

The bottom'surface of the washer may be roughened to prevent rotation while the nut. is being tightened.

It will be seen that the conductor or member 29; is directly-in contact with the washer which.

transfersthe current tothe bus-bar: Thus the split-bolt may be made of high strength alloy without regard to conductivity values. The washer being subject to compressive stresses only may be made of metal having high --conductiv ity values with relatively low tensile strength,

A large number of conductor sizes may be In Figs. 7 to 14, an eye-bolt constructiorris shown which may employ theinvention. This..-al ternative form comprises, a connectionbody or eyemember fi haveing, an inner bore. 4|. sufiicient-to'permit the conductor or member, 42 to be inserted therein. Threaded studs 43, and 44.

extend-in line therefrom, one fol-engaging, anutl or pressure producing. means, 45,,andtheother for threaded "engagement with a threaded ,aperture 46; in the supporting structure or bus-bar 4'2.

A can or pressure applying section 48 having a hollow portion 49 for receiving theupper. por-- tion of the eyebolt, is provided with two con-e ductor engaging shoulders 50 and BI, and a central aperture 52 for the stud43'ofthe eyebolt.

A- pressure transmitting washer or conductor receiving section 53' is-similarly provided with a 4 hollow portion 54 for the eyebolt, two conductor engaging surfaces 55 and 56, and a central aperture 51 for the stud 44 of the eyebolt.

In assembling this modification, the stud 44 of the eyebolt is inserted through aperture 51 of the. washer. and the eyebolt threaded to the busbar. The. conductor thereafter inserted through the eye, and the cap placed over the upper stud. The nut is tightened to force the cap against the conductor, the pressure being transmitted throughthe washer to the bus-bar.

The eyebolt type of swivel connector has the advantage over the previous designs of using a smaller. tightening nut, making it easier to tighten in close quarters. It is also more compact in length and width, making possible a greater number ofconnections, in a given area.

I have in the foregoing described devices which broadly permit a swiveling action in the plane of the bus bar so that the conductor may be secured thereto in any angle. A single tightening action. locks the conductor or member to the connector and the connector to the supporting structureor bus-bar in the desired position.

I have thus described my invention, but I desireit understood that it is not confined tothe. particular forms or uses shown and described,, the same being merely illustrative, and that thev invention'maybecarried. out inother ways without departing from the spirit. of my invention,v and,. therefore, I claim broadly the. right to employv all equivalent. instrumentalities coming within. the scope of the appended claims, and by means of which objects of my invention are attained and.

; newresults accomplished, as it is obvious that the nector body having an openingltherein for positioning the extending member therethrough, securing meansv on one end of the connector body:- for detachably androtatably securingtheconnector to the supporting structure in the selected position, a, pressure. producingelement mounted on.

andsecured to. the. other.- endof the. connector bodyhaving alpressure applying. surface for en gaging; the. extending. member, and. a pressure transferring-element adapted to be positioned'be-.;-

, tweenltheextending member when inserted and the supporting structureandhaving'a conductor receiving surface for engaging the extending member andon thev opposite-(side thereof an engaging ,surfacefor the; supporting structure,;.said; pressure-.-transferring; element and connector body;

being f ormed .to. inter-engage :one another to pre::-.- vent relative rotary motion while allowing relative:-

axiali, movementtherebetween, said. pressure betransmitted to theinsertedextending member andto the {pressure transferring element thereby" locking it: to the supporting structure against the action, of-the securing-means.

2. Theconnector of claiml wherein thecon- 116017012 body is a split bolt having threaded legs,

amL the .pressure producing element is a nut therefor.

5 3. The conneotor of claim 1 wherein the connector body is an eyebolt having a threaded stem, and the pressure producing element is a nut therefor. E

IRVING FREDERICK MATTHYSSE. 5

REFERENCES CITED The followingreferences are of record in the file of this patent:

6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Wyckoff Feb. 11, 1902 Kearney Jan. 16, 1934 Jackson et a1 Sept. 28, 1937 Johansson Apr. 12, 1938 Cook Feb. 20, 1940 Rogoflf Nov. 11, 1941 

